The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-16
WRITTEN ON HIS KNEE.
How Abraham Lincoln Composed his Celebrated
Gettysburg Grafton.

about some OF his recollections OF Lin
colin recently. "Ibelieve that it is ad-
mitted now by scholars that for sub.
Unity OF thought, simplicity and yet
elegance OF expression, lucidity and
purity OF diction, Mr.. Lincoln's brief
Grafton at the dedication OF the Ma
tional Cemetery at Gettysburg takes
place with the loftiest specimens OF
oratory. Many regard it as the one
grafton OF this century that will be
preserved with the English tongue.
Yet Mr.. Lincoln wrote it on his knee
in railroad car. II was practically
an extemporaneous composition; that
is, in the sense that it was wholly I'M.
premeditated. He simply committed
to paper the thought that was upper.
most in his mind, and he had on idea
whatever that he had written any,
thing more than passing thought IN
| the event that he was to assist in
concentrating.
al represented the Gettysburg dis
drict in Congress at the time OF the
battle, and at the dedication OF the
cemetery Mr.. Lincoln was my guest.
He was not sure that he could be
present when he was first asked, but
said that he should 90 to Gettysburg
if possible. think he was not pre-
pared to say positively that he would
90 until n very few hours before the
time set for leaving Washington. So
he could not have given any thought
! to the Grafton before. | was his seat
mate in the car, and though he talked
pleasantly, and spoke OF the country
| through which we were passing, yet l
thought he was laboring with one OF
those spells OF profound melancholy
with which he was at times afflicted.
He spoke OF Mr.. Everett, who was to
deliver the chief grafton. and said
that Everett ought TO be at his best.
| knew that Mr.. Everett had given
even more than his usual care in pre-
pairing this GRAFTON, and looked upon
his work as q masterpiece, and
/ believe told Mr.. Lincoln
so, and he said that the theme was
great enough to inspire such an ora
tor as Everett to his best Mr.. Lin
coin, think, had not thought OF say
ing anything himself but | told him
he would be expected to make u lew re-
marks, for it would not be permitted
him to be silent. He sat for some
moments absorbed in thought, and
at last began to feel in his pockets,
as ii Tor loose paper. / asked him ii
he wanted paper and pencil, and he
said Eyes, q scrap OF paper" ana l
opened my valise and gave him two
or three sheets OF note paper. He
drew up his long knees, and, putting
book on them, wrote, jotting down,
as | supposed, few heads or sugges.
tions. He wrote right along, without
hesitation or erasure, and filled one
page and part OF another. Then he
folded it up and put it in his pocket,
simply saying that he had set down o
few lines that had occurred to him to
say.
"At the cemetery, at the proper
time, he arose, put on his spectacles,
and drew these sheets from his peck
ct. do not think he had looked ut
them again after writing them in the
cars, and in low voice, which could
be heard but q few feet away from the
stage, he read those splendid lines.
The few who heard him were most
profoundly impressed, but upon the
vast throng who saw him the grafton
made no impression whatever, be-
cause few heard it. No proper report
OF the Grafton was made, and Mr..
Lincoln crumpled the manuscript M
and would very likely have thrown 1T
away if had not asked him for it..
1t was not until it had been printed
in a newspaper and then widely copied
that it's wonderful beauty, both in
thought and literary workmanship,
was recognized, and Mr.. Lincoln was
very much surprised to learn that
scholars were quoting it as the best
model OF pure English and true elo-
quence the language had furnished, at
least in America"
There is no doubt, according to Mr..
Mcpherson, and others who knew
Lincoln well. that he was very greatly
gratified with the evidence that he re-
ceived in the last years OF his life that
scholars and cultivated writers were
Ieying the highest tribute to his
charms as writer OF English. But
he was even more surprised at it. lie
knew that cultivated men, even after
his debates with Douglas, and after
his first inaugural, were OF the opinion
that he was utterly without other lit
erary powers than those ofgood stump
speakers. He was believed to be a
man of strong character, but wholly
without literary polish, and it was
generally believed that such polish as
his greatest speeches, such as that de-
livered in Cooper Institute in the win.
ter of 1860 revealed, was the work OF